Effect of dihydroergocriptine on the activities of acetylcholinesterase in hippocampus of mice with vascular dementia

Objective To study the effects of dihydroergocriptine on the activities of acetylcholinesterase (AchE) in hippocampus of mice with vascular dementia (VD).Methods 75 kunming mice were randomly divided into model group, dihydroergocriptine treatment group and sham-operated group. In model group and dihydroergocriptine group, the VD models were established by three repeated times ischemia-reperfusion through the ligation of the bilateral common carotid arteries. The abilities of learning and memory of mice were investigated by step-down test and water maze test to all animals. The activities of AchE in hippocampus were measured on the 30th day after the operation in 3 groups of mice.Results (1)The grades of learning and memory of mice in model group were lower than the grades in shame group(P0.01). Compared with model group, the grades of learning and memory of mice in drug treatment group were improved significantly(P0.01). (2)The activities of AchE of hippocampus in model group was less than in sham group(P0.01), however, which was evidently increased in drug group compared with model group(P0.05).Conclusions Dihydroergocriptine can improve learning and memory abilities in mice models of ischemia-reperfusion injury and enhance the activities of AchE in hippocampus of those mice.